Vista - 169... IP address

My internet connection stopped working last night. It allows me to connect to my wireless network, but not to the internet. It keeps giving me a 169... IP address. Even if I run the comm. prompt as the admin. it wont release the IP address when I type ipconfig/release. I've tried turning off and unplugging everything from the router. I have also done a sytem restore which did nothing. My ISP doesn't know what to do and Dell wants to charge me a ton of money.

Hi demsum, open an Elevated Command Prompt
and then try ipconfig/release and ipconfig /renew.
also type netsh winsock reset catalog(Press Enter)
Close cmd.exe and restart your computer.
If nothing works, reinstall OS.

Thanks for the info. It looks as though I will have to reinstall vista. I had purchased McAfee securiy center... will I have to repurchase another security system?

Do you have the McAfee CD with you?
If you have purchased it from your computer vendor like Dell, HP, etc, you can ask them for another Cd. or else just download the Mcafee software from us.mcafee.com and put the product key. If you do not have the product key, you can also contact McAfee and they will do it for you.

Thanks again

Have you reset your router cause your router gives you your ip address not your computer.

Well the 169.254... ip address is an auto-generated ip address provided by the computer, which is invalid. And as suggested by mansrm1, resetting your modem will be a last resort. But you might lose all your modem settings and passwords.

check the properties of your network card in device manager. the "network address" listing should be set to "not assigned". most ISP's do not use static IP addresses, so if one is present, delete it. also check your browser settings (LAN/dialup/proxy server).
dont just unplug everything FROM the router. unplug the router itself and wait 30 seconds to plug it back in. do this BEFORE ANY OTHER STEP. if that doesnt work, delete the adapter from device manager,restart your computer, and let windows reinstall it. maybe mcafee changed settings? set itself up as a proxy? try disabling it.